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At first glance it seems like a good idea based on a whole new model of bringing the food production system, rather than the food itself, to the consumer. That has huge appeal, to me at least.

Then I read the bit about locating them in universities and flinched. It seems like a good idea to hire a local kid or two to run the system, but unless they have a knack for it, the results will be patchy.

It's a bit like breeding tropical fish - most people have fish like they have flowers, vaguely attractive and utterly replaceable as they regularly die. Only those with an eye for detail and a knack for practical chemistry tend to have long-term success or breed the things. Hydro is kind of the same, you have to both observe the living organism and it's artificial support system, that just happens to be prone to unstable nutrient/pH levels.

Mind you, they are concentrating on leaf crops which are both quicker growing (less time for things to go wrong) and less fussy in the first place.

Could be great for places like the middle east and remote settlements like the Cocos Islands and up north, where affordable/edible greens are hard to come by.

But mostly, it seems like a great option for the more ambitious dope grower - compact, discrete, secure, relocatable...

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But mostly, it seems like a great option for the more ambitious dope grower - compact, discrete, secure, relocatable...

This was my initial thought, there are plenty of 'skilled' operators out there.

Also using computer controlled environments, artificial light and (adding??) nutrients sounds like it could have the same (or bigger) carbon footprint as growing stuff naturally and transporting it. This does not sound like a robust system, it needs accessable and reliable electricity and water infrastructure.